Sony PS Vita: US memory card prices revealed – Will you pay extra?

As Japan prepares for the imminent release of Sony’s successor to the PSP handheld console, a recent US price listing for the PS Vita’s separate proprietary memory cards at GameStop may be seen as a shock to the system, especially if you were thinking that they would be reasonably priced.

The PS Vita will launch on December 17 and December 23 in Japan and Hong Kong respectively, but those of you in the US and UK will have to wait until February 22 to get your hands on the device.

If you have been keeping a close eye on the PS Vita, you’ll probably already know about the price points for the two versions, as a WiFi model will set you back $249, while a 3G + WiFi model will cost $299USD. The unassuming consumer may take it for granted that a memory card will be included with the price for both models, but we already know this isn’t the case, as consumers will have to fork out an extra fee to buy one of Sony’s new memory card formats for the Vita.

GameSpot has now given a potential insight into how much these cards are going to cost, and it isn’t pretty. According to their website, the standard 4GB PS Vita card will come in at $29.99. There are three other storage options available at either 8GB, 16GB or the maximum 32GB, but you’ll have to fork out $44.99, $69.99 or an incredible $119.99 for the 32GB card respectively.

The fact that Sony does not include a 4GB card inside their Vita package and the confirmation that some games require a memory card in the system to operate, is causing a lot of frustration and it may be the key reason why many gamers choose to pick this up after launch when it becomes cheaper, or get one when a third-party manufacturer develops a cheaper alternative to Sony’s seemingly mad prices for their new proprietary memory cards.

At the moment though, no company has stepped up to the plate on this task, leaving consumers with a decision on whether or not to bite the bullet and cough up the cash since there’s no other way around it.

If you are currently interested in picking up a PS Vita, what are your thoughts on this? Are you angry that the company are not including a 4GB card with every Vita purchase? Don’t forget to check out a full game list here.